Jussi Fredriksson

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Pianist, keyboardist and composer Jussi Fredriksson is best known for working with his own trio J.F.T. and award-winning group Reactor-5. In addition, he has been busy collaborating with other artists like Jukka Perko, Tim Hagans, Joonatan Rautio and Norrbotten Big Band to name a few. Now he is about to release his debut album ”Busy Turtles” including seven compositions of energetic modern 21st century jazz.
The musicians on “Busy Turtles” represent the top ranks of today..s jazz with such names as Tero Saarti of Umo Jazz Orchestra on trumpet and the phenomenal Teemu Viinikainen on guitar. Behind them you can find two rowdy giants of rhythm; bassist Ville Huolman and drummer Jussi Lehtonen form an explosive rhythm section that is not lacking energy or skill.
Fredrikssons music has a wide variety of influences, ranging from acoustic jazz of the days gone by to the electric sounds of today. This album is not trying to catch a certain retro kind of atmosphere, even though old Moogs and several other vintage instruments and recording equipment used on the album hint at the 70s fusion jazz, such as Weather Report, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and Jan Hammer. Despite the high energy and effervescent colors of the album, one can not avoid hearing also Fredriksson..s Scandinavian roots that spices things up with a bit melancholic and thoughtful flavors. On the other hand, “Busy Turtles” pays respect to traditional music-centered way of artistic progress and is not trying to sound anything but itself, which brings the music even stronger to this day.
His composing differs from traditional way of writing jazz, creating exceptionally long and multidimensional themes. Improvised solos are not necessarily the main point of the song but an important part of the composition as a whole. Some tracks take the listener on a long journey as well as some create bluesy and relaxed moods. Fredrikssons organic use of odd time signatures is also characteristic to his unique compositional style.
”Busy Turtles” introduces a fresh way of combining the roots of acoustic and electronic jazz with the great talent of the young generation of jazz musicians in Finland. Enjoy!